1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a retention device for a boot on a gliding board, especially on a snowboard.
The invention is also directed to a boot for gliding, especially snowboarding, and a gliding board, especially for snowboarding.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Snowboarding is a gliding sport which is practiced by means of a board in the form of a plate, of which the front end is raised to form the shovel. Certain boards also have the rear end raised. The skier is connected to the board by means of two retention elements which hold each of his or her boots. The retention elements are generally offset along the median longitudinal axis of the plate, and they form, with this axis, an angle of 5 to 90.degree. from one or the other side of this axis. This angle as well as the distance between the two retention elements can be adjustable.
There are two large families of boot retention elements on the board, depending on whether the boots are of the rigid or the flexible type. For boots of the rigid type, the retention elements generally comprise a plate on which the sole of the boot is in support. At each end of the plate, the boot is held by a stirrup which takes support on the front or rear tip of the boot.
Such a device is known, for example, from French Patent Publication No. 2 669 237.
Another device of this type is known from European Patent Publication No. 0 396 133. This device additionally comprises an intermediary plate which is connected to the gliding board by a linkage of the releasable type. However, the boot is held on the plate by means of conventional stirrups.
A retention device is also disclosed in French Patent Publication No. 2 592 807, for example, for flexible type boots, i.e., shoes which resemble boots. These binding elements generally comprise a rigid shell which is assembled at the surface of the gliding board and inside of which the boot is inserted and retained.
The currently known retention elements have the disadvantage of being cumbersome, either in terms of length of the boot or in terms of height. In addition, besides the orientation adjustment of the boots with respect to the longitudinal direction of the plate, they require adaptation adjustments to the boot of the rider/snowboarder, mainly to its length. Further, currently known retention elements occupy a substantial surface of the board, and therefore disturb its flexion and/or torsion during the glide.